IMPRESSIONIST and political satirist Rory Bremner is in York on Monday, drawing attention once more to the Boxing Day floods that left businesses and householders so devastated.
The news agenda may have moved on nationally, but Rory’s Come Hell And High Water fundraising show at the Grand Opera House will buoy up the spirits when homes, shops and offices are still in recovery mode, some still embroiled in negotiations with insurance companies and renovators alike.
“When the cameras move away, people think the crisis has abated,” says Rory. “It does mean that the one thing that results from us doing this show late on after the floods in Yorkshire, Cumbria and Lancashire is that it’s a reminder that the problem is still on-going. What’s great is the resilience and extraordinary spirit that’s being shown, where you see the signs saying ‘Back in business soon’.”
Already Rory has played sold-out concerts in Penrith, Kendal, Keswick and Lancaster on his flood relief fundraising tour. On Monday, he will host and star in a two-hour comedic extravaganza in York, where Rory, veteran Leeds comedian Barry Cryer, Jess Robinson, Rob Rouse and Katie Mulgrew will give their services for free. Proceeds from the 8pm show will go to the York Disaster Fund, managed by the Two Ridings Community Foundation, to help victims of the floods.
Leeds comedian and writer Barry Cryer
“When I saw what was happening in Yorkshire and the Lake District, I thought, ‘Let’s do something about this, let’s put on some shows, and I’m really pleased with the bill. Barry Cryer is a national treasure; Jess has so much energy; and Rob and Katie complete what amounts to a variety bill of top comedians,” says Rory. “That’s what happens in times of adversity; people get together to do things, so there’ll be great comedy, great satire and good music.”
His enthusiasm for Monday’s fundraiser is infectious, as he leaps from thought to thought. “The Grand Opera House is a terrific venue, and if anyone wants to help people in York get back on their feet, please support us by coming to this show,” he says.
“I love York; I’ve known the city for years; I had an old aunt who lived in Spofforth, not far away, and I love all those lovely Yorkshire names. Names like Spofforth and Follifoot!”
Rory’s material in the show will chime with the times as ever. “As a satirist, it’s all about trying to keep up with everything; anything from Trump to Corbyn to Cameron,” he says. “It’s a frustration that we’re not doing a TV series at the moment, but people are now getting their satire on the news, given what ridiculous things are going on. It’s really hard for a comedian to outdo what Trump is doing.”
Where does a satirist go, faced with this situation, Rory? “I don’t know. Benidorm?!,” he jests. “But there is always a role for the satirist, though in a way we have lost connection with our politicians since the demise of Spitting Image, when you had that weekly show. It’s one of those things where maybe we have just lost the habit.
“Channel 4 want to do more sitcoms and the BBC say they haven’t got the budget for it; they’re busy re-making Keeping Up Appearances. Having no satirical shows is a bad reflection on us, but also there’s a failure of nerve.”
Rob Rouse
Aside from the “grotesques”, Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage, Rory bemoans the paucity of politicians ripe for a send-up. “If you look at the Cabinet: Jeremy Hunt, Chris Grayling, Philip Hammond. I doubt even his wife knows who he is! And I challenge you to name even two members of the Shadow Cabinet,” says Rory. “So the characters have largely gone and we only have the interesting characters on the periphery.”
One consolation for Rory, now 55, is that he loves doing the live shows. “I also have two children that I have to spend time with, pretending I have something to do with them!” he adds.
Rory will be returning to the nation’s television screens, but wearing a different hat. “It’s in the early stages, but I’m going to be doing a documentary with the BBC about ADHD [Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder],” he reveals. “I have personal knowledge of it, as a relative has it, and watching the consequences, I recognise a lot of symptoms in myself.
“One in 20 children has it in the UK; that’s at least half a million children. In any classroom, there’ll be one child with ADHD; maybe the child in the corner, or the class clown... hello [he says, in self recognition]. They’re seen as disruptive because they’re having difficulties when they can’t follow everything as their mind is elsewhere, so they beat themselves up over it and all that suffering and despair has an attritional effect emotionally, and yet at the same time they are some of the most creative and energetic people around.”
Rory Bremner and Friends, Come Hell And High Water, Grand Opera House, York, Monday, 8pm. Tickets: £22.50 on 0844 871 3024 or atgtickets.com/york
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